User:Brs36

Background
I am in my third year as as a Master of Music student in violin/viola performance at The Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. I am part of the Fall 2009 "Future of Classical Music" class. This wikipedia user page was created to fulfill a requirement for our class.

My previous education experience is a B.A. in Music at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. I am originally from Seattle, WA, but I have lived in Houston, Philadelphia, Ithaca, Aspen, and currently, Boston. I am passionate about the future of classical music education for all children and I am also dedicated to striving for excellence in classical music performance.

Articles I've Contributed
Community Music Education Programs World-Wide Catalogued on Wikipedia - some modeled on El Sistema [] El Sistema Community Music Education Programs World-Wide: This article is meant to be a resource expanding on the main El Sistema Wikipedia page [], and leading to more discovery on the El Sistema USA site. El Sistema, the education system for youth music in Venezuela, which can be discovered further on the websites just listed, has been described as incredibly inspiring and revolutionary. The striking example they have made with their education formula and curriculum is grabbing the attention of music educators world wide. Thus, the new program launched in Fall, 2009 at New England Conservatory, called the Abreu Fellows , named after the founder of El Sistema, Jose Antonio Abreu [], aims to train passionate and able musicians and music educators to observe and study the El Sistema formula so they can then act as spokespeople for the significance of music education. And, with the El Sistema model, they can share that it is possible to teach music universally, regardless of economic barriers.

Because the goal of the Abreu fellows is to learn about El Sistema, to eventually share their knowledge of this curriculum with fellow music educator's, and to perhaps even start their own music programs inspired by El Sistema, this article will also serve as a collection of data on programs in places beyond Venezuala that have been developed from the model of El Sistema in Venezuala.

In addition, information is included here on programs that loosely model El Sistema, by serving as music education systems for often underprivileged socities. This is neccesary to include because while El Sistema is a highly respected system, it is also not a fix-all template for every culture. Music education can be shared universally, but it has to be presented in a style that suits the specific needs of each individual culture. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and hopefully never will be, as ideally more and more community music education programs will continue to develop world-wide as people learn of the empowering positive social change music, and these programs, can have on a community.

Links
FutureClass Wiki [] FutureClass Blog El Sistema Wiki []